Novell chief vows to resuscitate UK channel

Novell’s new UK channel chief has pledged to grow partner revenues by nearly a third this quarter as she continues to breathe life into the software vendor’s channel.

Jill Henry admitted Novell’s channel was “flatlining” when she joined as channel development director in August 2007. Although channel revenues for the first two quarters of her tenure remained flat, Henry told CRN she was expecting a 27 per cent hike for the three months to 31 July.

Novell resellers specialise in one or more of four areas ­ Linux, systems and resource management, identity and security management and workgroup. Henry revealed she had finished recruiting Linux-specialised VARs after adding seven new partners to Novell’s 54 UK resellers.

She indicated her next goal was to sign up nine partners specialising in identity and security. She said: “If you go down the road of recruiting 1,000 partners it is hard for resellers to differentiate themselves and that is when you get margin wars.”

Henry claimed she hoped to double Novell’s UK partner base within 18 months and revealed 30 per cent of new VARs would come from overseas partners expanding into the UK. She also indicated that recent acquisition PlateSpin and its partner community would be integrated into Novell by the end of 2008.

“Several years ago direct sales were seen as the right model for Novell. My mission is to transform the channel business,” she said.

Anne Simpson, general manager of Platinum partner B2Lateral, said: “Novell is working really hard at the programme. We now have access to more leads and are given more help with marketing funds.”

James Doggart, managing director of Platinum partner Salford Software, said: “This seems to be more than the usual rhetoric. There have been massive improvements to the UK management. We can work with new partners and give them skill sets in the short term.”